Newly diagnosed - overwhelmed!

[Shazdonn123]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2 weeks ago after suffering a heart attack. I am still in shock that this has happened to me at the age of 48 as were my friends and family, although looking back I was very stressed with my job, my teenage daughter etc. I thought that my diet was pretty good, but I now realise that I did in fact eat far too many carbs. I didn't excercise enough and I have a desk based job which I travel to by car. I also smoked and have been on HRT for 9 years. I realise that I need to change a lot of aspects of my life. I have stopped smoking. I am no longer on HRT and I am getting used to the many heart tablets that I need to take. However I am finding the diebetes informations really overwhelming and conflicting. I take 1 Metformin tablet each morning and I have bought my own blood glucose meter (according to my diabetes nurse, type 2 patients do not need to measure glucose levels). My initial 3 month reading was 77. I am eating healthy meals but my own readings are still very high. My fasting reading this morning was 9.5 but after I eat it seems to shoot up to 15. I am eating whole meal bread with some meals which I thought was ok. As a snack in the evening I am having a couple of oatcakes with cheese spread but again this seems to effect my bloods and gives a high reading. Eating an apple also caused the same problem. Other than that I am eating fish/chicken and vegetables with sweet potatoes . I am just confused wether or not I need to cut out bread entirely and any type of potatoes. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rokaab]

I am eating whole meal bread with some meals which I thought was ok. As a snack in the evening I am having a couple of oatcakes with cheese spread but again this seems to effect my bloods and gives a high reading. Eating an apple also caused the same problem. Other than that I am eating fish/chicken and vegetables with sweet potatoes . I am just confused wether or not I need to cut out bread entirely and any type of potatoes.

Quite a lot of T2's on these forums have found they need to cut out bread (white, brown, wholemeal, all), rice, pasta, potatoes and many supposedly good for you fruits as they are all carb heavy foods, but it is different for everyone, if they spike your blood sugar then you know you can't really deal with them.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2 weeks ago after suffering a heart attack. I am still in shock that this has happened to me at the age of 48 as were my friends and family, although looking back I was very stressed with my job, my teenage daughter etc. I thought that my diet was pretty good, but I now realise that I did in fact eat far too many carbs. I didn't excercise enough and I have a desk based job which I travel to by car. I also smoked and have been on HRT for 9 years. I realise that I need to change a lot of aspects of my life. I have stopped smoking. I am no longer on HRT and I am getting used to the many heart tablets that I need to take. However I am finding the diebetes informations really overwhelming and conflicting. I take 1 Metformin tablet each morning and I have bought my own blood glucose meter (according to my diabetes nurse, type 2 patients do not need to measure glucose levels). My initial 3 month reading was 77. I am eating healthy meals but my own readings are still very high. My fasting reading this morning was 9.5 but after I eat it seems to shoot up to 15. I am eating whole meal bread with some meals which I thought was ok. As a snack in the evening I am having a couple of oatcakes with cheese spread but again this seems to effect my bloods and gives a high reading. Eating an apple also caused the same problem. Other than that I am eating fish/chicken and vegetables with sweet potatoes . I am just confused wether or not I need to cut out bread entirely and any type of potatoes. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi @Shazdonn123 ,

First off, welcome, and I'm so sorry about your troubles! When you mentioned your numbers I took a guess at your diet, which you confirmed as I read on: you really are eating more carbs than you can process... Once you know practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested, AND that metformin only does something about the glucose your liver dumps into your system in the morning (To give you energy to start the day, called Dawn Phenomenon), not about anything you've eaten... You really, really need to cut back on the carbs. That means potatoes, rice, cereal (muesli, weetabix too), pasta, corn, fruit, (save for berries, avocado, tomatoes and starfruit), and the usual straight sugars (refined sugar, honey etc). The best things for your bloodsugar are things that are really low carb and will not spike you. That'd be meat, fish, poultry, above-gound veggies/leafy greens, full fat greek yoghurt, butter, cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate (85% and over), nuts, that sort of thing.

So you could eat, without issue:
Scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, maybe some high meat content sausages?
Eggs with ham, bacon and cheese
Omelet with spinach and/or smoked salmon
Omelet with cream, cinnamon, with some berries and coconut shavings
Full fat Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries
Leafy green salad with a can of tuna (oil, not brine!), mayonaise, capers, olives and avocado
Leafy green salad with (warmed goat's) cheese and bacon, maybe a nice vinaigrette?
Meat, fish or poultry with veggies. I usually go for cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, with cheese and bacon to bulk it up. Never the same meal twice in a row because of various herbs/spices.
Snacks? Pork scratchings, cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate, nuts.

Loads of ideas on dietdoctor.com, and you might want to read dr. Jason Fung's the Diabetes Code. And good on you for getting a meter! (Like flying blind is such a good idea... What are those professionals thinking?!) Test before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. If it goes up more than 2.0 mmol/l, the meal was carbier than you could process out again.

Hope this helps. Just know a carb is a carb, whether it's white or brown won't matter. It'll still spike you.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[JoKalsbeek]

PS: tagging @daisy1 for the super-useful info sheet.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

In simple terms, eating carbs will raise your blood glucose levels. This is because starch is glucose. It stands to reason that the less (fewer?) carbs you eat, the less your blood glucose will rise.

If you cut carbs, you need to replace the carbs with either protein or fat. However, having just had a heart attack you will be told to cut down on fat drastically and eat more carbs.

Nevertheless, the best way to reduce your blood glucose levels is to reduce carbs drastically and increase fat.

Here is a primer on low carb high fat (LCHF) eating:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Shazdonn123 Welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your recent health scare, hopefully with the support you get here and tips to help you along, then you can turn this round, the good news is that you've already started making changes and your health will improve, don't be afraid to ask any questions, it's quite daunting and over whelming with diagnosis but gets alot easier in time, take care J

 

[britishpub]

Thanks in advance for any advice.

My advice would be to initially cut out all Bread, Potatoes, Rice, Pasta and Cakes/Biscuits.

I know it sounds drastic, but by doing so you will get control over your T2D relatively quickly.

Once you have that control, you are in a much stronger position to start to think about your diet, trying out what you can and can't eat and adding some variety.

 

[SB.25]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2 weeks ago after suffering a heart attack. I am still in shock that this has happened to me at the age of 48 as were my friends and family, although looking back I was very stressed with my job, my teenage daughter etc. I thought that my diet was pretty good, but I now realise that I did in fact eat far too many carbs. I didn't excercise enough and I have a desk based job which I travel to by car. I also smoked and have been on HRT for 9 years. I realise that I need to change a lot of aspects of my life. I have stopped smoking. I am no longer on HRT and I am getting used to the many heart tablets that I need to take. However I am finding the diebetes informations really overwhelming and conflicting. I take 1 Metformin tablet each morning and I have bought my own blood glucose meter (according to my diabetes nurse, type 2 patients do not need to measure glucose levels). My initial 3 month reading was 77. I am eating healthy meals but my own readings are still very high. My fasting reading this morning was 9.5 but after I eat it seems to shoot up to 15. I am eating whole meal bread with some meals which I thought was ok. As a snack in the evening I am having a couple of oatcakes with cheese spread but again this seems to effect my bloods and gives a high reading. Eating an apple also caused the same problem. Other than that I am eating fish/chicken and vegetables with sweet potatoes . I am just confused wether or not I need to cut out bread entirely and any type of potatoes. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Sorry to hear of your health trouble. I understand how frustrating the diagnosis can be. I am only 26 and have a healthy BMI and lifestyle and also have been diagnosed as diabetic (but await to hear what type) so it was a big shock to me.

This forum has been a godsend and everyone is so helpful. My numbers have only recently started dropping 3 months down the line so please don’t get dispondant - it takes time to get back in control

 

[Bluetit1802]

Well done for ignoring your nurse and getting a meter. It has already taught you some valuable lessons which you can now learn from. Keep a food diary, record your levels alongside the food, and watch out for patterns.

All carbs of whichever kind convert to sugar in the blood stream, and when we have difficulty metabolising sugar (glucose) it makes sense not to keep feeding your body with more.

In order to regain the lost energy from reducing carbs we need to increase the fats or we can become ill. So you can have some lovely scrumptious meals. Try bacon and eggs with mushrooms and a tomato for breakfast, or even for lunch if time is short in the mornings. Eggs cooked any which way. Leave the bread alone, and leave the apple out of your diet. Sweet potatoes aren't always a good thing either. The carb content is much the same as ordinary spuds.

Have a good read round and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[Shazdonn123]

Thank you so much for all of the quick responses and suggestions. Thank you Jo for the meal ideas too. As I thought I need to cut out the carbs and ensure that I replace with protein and fats. It's a good job I love salad and veg!
I wish I had come here first rather than reading all of the conflicting advice. I'm sure I will be back with more questions.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Lily1042]

Wishing you all the best to getting your head around this. Your heart attack was perhaps in a way a good thing as the diabetes has been brought to light. I am pretty much following the advice JoKalsbeek has given you but using a meter I have found that I seem to be able to tolerate porridge without a problem. Bread white or whole meal is a totally intolerable and I used to eat loads. So follow the advice given, test, test, test and hopefully you have much better readings very soon.

 

[Shazdonn123]

Wishing you all the best to getting your head around this. Your heart attack was perhaps in a way a good thing as the diabetes has been brought to light. I am pretty much following the advice JoKalsbeek has given you but using a meter I have found that I seem to be able to tolerate porridge without a problem. Bread white or whole meal is a totally intolerable and I used to eat loads. So follow the advice given, test, test, test and hopefully you have much better readings very soon.

Yes I agree that the heart attack was a good thing due to finding out that I had diabetes. Fortunately my heart has no lasting muscle damage. I had no idea about the diabetes as I didn't have the thirst symptoms, but I was feeling extremely tired all of the time regardless of what time I went to bed. It's good to know that I may be able to tolerate porridge oats as this is a breakfast staple for me. I will give that a try once I have things under control and see how it affects me. How people manage without a monitor I don't know. I think it's wrong that it's not offered by the doctor. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[Shazdonn123]

Hi,
Please can someone remind me which app is good for tracking blood sugars. I read it on here but can't remember where.
Thanks

 

[Emma_369]

Hi,
Please can someone remind me which app is good for tracking blood sugars. I read it on here but can't remember where.
Thanks

MySugr app is what a lot people use - me included and i think it’s fab

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Your nurse's advice not to need a meter is wrong and based on NHS cost-saving. Do get one. What is your BMI?

 

[Charis1213]

NHS do not give out meters and free lancets and strips now for type 2 diabetics .

 

[daisy1]

@Shazdonn123
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[Pinkorchid]

Hi Welcome to the forum sorry you have had a heart attack but are on the mend now. Many here recommend the low carb high fat diet but as you have recently had a heart attack you need your doctors advice about how much fat you should be eating as we can't tell you that

 

[zauberflote]

Hi,
Please can someone remind me which app is good for tracking blood sugars. I read it on here but can't remember where.
Thanks

I use a very simple and elegant free one called Glucose (iPhone). It takes your data points and turns them into the average BG based on those numbers, and the HbA1c based on that average. Places to input BP, carbs, insulin, weight, and your firstborn’s final English lit exam scores...

 

[Member496333]

I use a very simple and elegant free one called Glucose (iPhone). It takes your data points and turns them into the average BG based on those numbers, and the HbA1c based on that average. Places to input BP, carbs, insulin, weight, and your firstborn’s final English lit exam scores...

Snap. It’s a nice clean app and very straeamlined. Nothing too fancy but writes data quickly to Apple HealthKit, whereas I’ve found one or two other apps a bit unreliable in this regard. The only small negative I found with Glucose, is that when I lived in the US, changing units didn’t make the requisite conversion to the recorded readings. I was using a US meter at the time, and swapping back and forth between units in the app (for fun mostly) would mean I could have 5.5mgdl or 100mmol/L quite easily